Animal Detective

Chapter 264 - 234: The Trio

For a nuclear-powered workhorse, rest was out of the question.

The day after Ding Yuwei returned to Nanjiang, she was back to work as usual.

Actually, she had already started writing reports that same day.

As for Shen Xin, he had undergone a transformation and was now a man of titles.

Head of the Tingyang Branch Criminal Investigation Division’s Cold Case Investigation Team, and Director of the Cold Case Investigation Office.

He was also the team leader for the Nanjiang City Bureau’s K9 Support Project Work Group.

The titles were so long they wouldn’t fit on a business card.

They were also pretty hollow—he wasn’t in charge of many people.

Still, he had the titles to his name.

Shen Xin managed to snag a day off. He ran home to pick up Da Mei the Evil Bully, then found some time to visit his mentor and old colleagues at the local station.

It had been a while.

The next day, it was time to clock in for work.

He first went to inspect his new office.

It was located diagonally across from the main office of the Criminal Investigation Division. It used to be the cybersecurity office—not large, just over eighty square meters, big enough for a few desks and a conference table.

Later, the cybersecurity division got an upgrade and moved to a bigger office upstairs, leaving this one vacant.

It was used for storing miscellaneous junk and supplies for the branch’s daily activities, like equipment for the sports meet, promotional banners, and other odds and ends for daily work, such as large containers and water-filled barriers.

Dust was floating in the air as he peered inside.

Shen Xin glanced around but didn’t go in. He pointed inside and started giving Ding Yuwei orders. "See to tidying this place up."

"Don’t rush. Start with the easy stuff, and we can tackle the rest together later. Then we’ll need to get two desks, a conference table, a printer, and so on. Oh, and a TV."

"I saw the tech department has a spare one. Cai Zhe and his guys use it for gaming, so see if we can requisition it from them."

A projector needs a screen, which is less convenient than a TV.

"We’ll also need computers with good specs. You got to know the people in the propaganda department from when you were editing videos, right? Ask them for two high-end machines. If that doesn’t work, we’ll talk to Director Wang. Just tell him we need them to shoot short videos for promotional purposes. He’ll probably approve it."

Seeing that Ding Yuwei hadn’t moved, Shen Xin said, "Shouldn’t you be writing this down?"

Ding Yuwei rolled her eyes at him, speechless. "Aren’t you supposed to be going to the K9 base? Just go do what you need to do."

’She’s getting impatient.’

But Shen Xin decided not to stoop to her level. She was his only soldier; if he scared her off, there’d be no one left to do his work.

"And the sign for the door! Get them to hurry up with that,"

Shen Xin added, pointing at the doorway.

’Other things could wait, but shouldn’t the sign be the first thing they hang up?’

Annoyed, Ding Yuwei started shooing him away.

Shen Xin got into the police car assigned to his office and set off for the K9 base.

The car was just over two years old and had only been driven 110,000 kilometers. Aside from a slightly shaky idle, it was practically brand new—absurdly so.

The only problem was that the K9 base was a bit far.

While he was still on the road, in the ’Nanjiang K9 Support Project Work Group’ chat, the only other member besides Shen Xin—a person named Li Mo—asked when he would arrive.

"Stuck in traffic,"

Shen Xin replied hastily before stepping on the gas again.

The guy had pulled him into the group chat just yesterday morning.

It was a legitimate project, after all, and had been approved for one million in funding.

One million was no small sum, so the Nanjiang City Bureau was bound to assign someone to oversee the use of the funds.

Besides, some matters required a dedicated person for coordination.

So, the final plan was for the City Bureau to assign one person and the K9 base to assign another.

With Shen Xin, that made it a three-person work group.

While waiting at a red light, his phone pinged. Li Mo had added another person to the group chat.

’That must be the person from the K9 base,’ he thought.

But when he saw the contact name, Shen Xin froze. It was Li Jiahui.

She then sent an address, tagging @Shen Xin, and told him not to bother going to the K9 base. She and Li Mo would head there directly, and the three of them would meet up.

Shen Xin had been to this address before.

It was the only stray animal shelter in Nanjiang.

It was in the Lishan District.

Shen Xin’s plan for the day was to go to the K9 base, first to meet his new colleagues as the team leader, and second to inspect the facility’s grounds.

The project was to be carried out at the K9 base, which meant they would need to borrow their grounds and kennels.

Shen Xin needed to see it for himself to get a clear picture of the situation.

After that, the plan was to source the dogs from the shelter, so a visit there was definitely on the agenda.

’The problem is, I’m the team leader,’ he thought.

’For Li Jiahui to be giving direct orders like this... wasn’t that overstepping her bounds?’

But he was familiar with Li Jiahui. Her personality was as bold as her figure—straightforward, generous, and not one to get caught up in trivial details.

So Shen Xin decided, once again, not to make an issue of it.

He didn’t know Li Mo, the representative from the City Bureau, and had no idea if they would be easy to work with.

’In a three-person team, I have to win one of them over to my side. That way, I’ll have a two-to-one majority. Then, if any disagreements come up, I’ll have the final say.’

With this in mind, Shen Xin sent a message to the group chat.

"Sounds good. It saves time. I agree."

At the K9 base, Li Jiahui, who had just met up with Li Mo and was about to drive off, saw Shen Xin’s message and couldn’t help but laugh.

’"I agree," indeed.’

"Men,"

Li Jiahui’s eyes crinkled with a smile. ’As expected,’ she thought. ’Men are such creatures of power.’

After a final glance at her makeup in the rearview mirror, Li Jiahui started the car and drove off.

A little over half an hour later, Shen Xin arrived at the shelter.

He didn’t rush in, waiting instead in the parking lot for Li Jiahui and Li Mo.

About ten minutes later, two cars pulled up.

Li Jiahui was the first to get out, waving a greeting to Shen Xin.

She wasn’t in her police uniform today, much less the K9 base’s training fatigues. She was in casual clothes.

She wore slim-fit jeans, tall leather boots, and a gray, mid-length wool coat left open to reveal a black-and-white checkered, form-fitting sweater underneath.